It has been three months since the floods hit Thailand, killing more than 350 people, disrupting business operations there and affecting the livelihood of nine million people. Sean Boonpracong, international spokesperson for the Bangkok Flood Relief Centre, says that the government is mainly focused on relieving the mass amount of water into the ocean via canals as fast they can. However, efforts to rechannel the water have been problematic due to the rising levels of the Chao Phraya River, as well as easterly wind resulting in high seatides. Another problem is the lack of boats to rescue stranded people and to deliver food supplies.
Asked whether the water management system is to fault for the floods, he says that "what we face now currently exceeds our existing [water management] plan, with 30% more rain than last year due to typhoons". Boonpracong says that even with a "perfect" plan, the situation would have been as difficult to handle due to the change in weather. "Global warming has resulted in more unusual atmospheric activity with non-stop rain. If this happened next year, we would have more boats then," he said in a recent interview.
Commenting on mounting criticism levied at the government's handling of the flood, particularly on the lack of communication and miscommunication, Boonpracong said that the administration is only into its second month of power, and that the governor -- coming from the opposition party -- may not cooperate 100% with the current ruling government.
Recently, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra invoked the Natural Disaster Law, which gives the prime minister full authority over officials in the county, including at special administrative zones and local government officials. "The Prime minister invoked the law to ensure everyone complies with orders of opening canals to release the floodwater, which is not being executed on the ground. It's a question of cooperation - people just don't do it, so it's hard to give information in the climate of uncertainty," he said.
Boonpracong acknowledged that the early flood warning system is partly to blame for the floods, but added that the government will be better prepared now after undergoing this flood crisis. He said the government was in a "lose-lose" proposition with regard to draining the floodwaters through the districts in order to safeguard Bangkok. Critics say the government cares more about saving Bangkok than the provinces, and that it reflects the socio-political divide. However, Boonpracong says that failure to save the capital -- the centre of tourism and economic activity-- will also be criticised.
"The priority is to get the water out, then we can think about it... there will be a comprehensive plan to deal with [floods in future]."
In the following interview, Boonpracong also talks about how Yingluck's reputation as Prime Minister has been affected by the floods.
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